Introduction
A delivery manager is accountable for the delivery of products and services. They aim to deliver products and services in an iterative way and deliver value to customers.
Delivery managers work at the heart of teams to provide delivery direction. They are responsible for ensuring delivery tasks are done, often working in an agile environment. They also work to motivate and support their team, as well as help remove blockers for them to complete tasks.
What a delivery manager does
As a delivery manager, you will:
- set up the agile environment needed to create user-centred products and services
- lead the hands-on delivery of digital projects
- guide and support your team to remain focused on delivering value and success
- coach individuals, the team, and people outside of the team and facilitation
- be skilled at or willing to learn agile/lean/user-centric delivery practices
- continually learn about new tools and techniques in project/product delivery
- use your experience and expertise of delivery and stakeholder management to keep your project on track
- help remove obstacles and blockers that might get in the way of delivery
- provide other delivery support, such as budget tracking and reporting to the wider organisation
Who a delivery manager works with
You will work within skilled multidisciplinary teams, and closely alongside the product manager.
Types of roles
There are three different levels of being a delivery manager:
- Apprentice / Associate Delivery Manager (entry level): at this level, you will work on small projects, working with mature agile teams to learn on the job
- Delivery Manager (mid-level): the complexity and scale of products or teams will vary in this role, depending on the context.
- Senior / Lead Delivery Manager: you will be responsible / accountable for delivering complex, high risk products, processes and services and leading a community of practice to build capabilities and knowledge